Apparatus for mixing liquids

ABSTRACT

APPARATUS FOR MIXING LIQUIDS SUCH AS A BLOOD SERUM AND A REAGENT EMPLOYED IN TESTING THE SERUM, WHEREIN A PREMEASURED AMOUNT OF THE REAGENT IS PREPACKED IN A SEALED PLASTIC VIAL HAVING INTERNAL THREADS IN THE MOUTH THEREOF AND A FRANGIBLE SEAL PLUG IN THE MOUTH AT THE LOWER END FOR SEALING THE PREMEASURED AMOUNT OF REAGENT IN THE VIAL. THE BLOOD SERUM IS PLACED INTO A GLASS VIAL HAVING EXTERNAL THREADS WHICH MAY BE SCREWED INTO THE MOUTH OF THE PLASTIC VIAL TO BREAK THE SEAL PLUG AND THEREBY ALLOW THE SERUM TO BE MIXED WITH THE REAGENT. IN ADDITION TO THE SEAL PROVIDED BY THE MATING THREADS ON THE VIALS, THE MIXED LIQUIDS ARE FURTHER SEALED BY INTERENGAGEMENT BETWEEN AN EXTERNAL SHOULDER ON THE GLASS VIAL AND A CORRESPONDING ANNULAR PORTION PROJECTING FROM THE MOUTH OF THE PLASTIC VIAL. THE ACTUAL MIXING OF THE LIQUIDS MAY BE PERFORMED BY GRASPING THE UNITED VIALS AND MANUALLY SHAKING THEM AS A UNIT SO THAT THE MIXING OF THE LIQUIDS TAKES PLACE IN BOTH VIALS.

Aug. 1 5, 1972 v c c ET AL $584,455

APPARATUS FOR MIXING LIQUIDS I Filed Dec. 19, 1969 FIGI FIGS INVENTORSEL VACIRCA MICHA MICHAEL SMITH e Lows TEJERA I BY MA ti -F I4 ATTORNEYS3,684,455 APPARATUS FOR MIXING LIQUIDS Michael Vacirca, Port Jetferson,Michael Smith, Ronkonkoma, and Louis Tejera, Central Islip, N.Y.,assignors to Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, St. Louis, Mo.

Filed Dec. 19, 1969, Ser. No. 886,559 Int. Cl. G01m 33/16; B65d 25/08,79/00 US. Cl. 23-253 R 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus formixing liquids such as a blood serum and a reagent employed in testingthe serum, wherein a premeasured amount of the reagent is prepackaged ina sealed plastic vial having internal threads in the mouth thereof and afrangible seal plug in the mouth at the lower end for sealing thepremeasured amount of reagent in the vial. The blood serum is placedinto a glass vial having external threads which may be screwed into themouth of the plastic vial to break the seal plug and thereby allow theserum to be mixed with the reagent. In addition to the seal provided bythe mating threads on the vials, the mixed liquids are further sealed byinterengagement between an external shoulder on the glass vial and acorresponding annular portion projecting from the mouth of the plasticvial. The actual mixing of the liquids may be performed by grasping theunited vials and manually shaking them as a unit so that the mixing ofthe liquids takes place in both vials.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION AND OBJECTS The present invention broadly relatesto liquid handling, and more specifically to apparatus for handling andmixing two liquids for example in the course of performing a blood testwherein it is desired to mix a premeasured amount of blood serum with apremeasured amount of reagent. Although in one aspect, the presentinvention involves a novel method for handling a blood serum and areagent during a blood test operation, it will be understood that themethod and apparatus of the present invention have broader applicationsand need not be restricted to the specific liquids disclosed.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide novelapparatus for handling and mixing two liquids. Included herein is theprovision of a novel apparatus particularly suitable for mixing a bloodserum with a reagent during the course of a blood test.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a novelapparatus which may be employed to quickly and easily mix twopredetermined amounts of liquids with accuracy.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a pair ofnovel vials which may be combined into a single sealed container to mixliquids initially separately contained in the vials. Included herein isthe provision of such vials incorporating a novel frangible seal forinsuring that at least one of the liquids is sealed prior to mixing.Also included is the provision of a dual seal for sealing the vialstogether to contain the mixed liquids during the mixing operation.

The above and other objects are achieved in one particular applicationrelating to the testing of blood samples, wherein a predetermined amountof a blood serum to be tested is placed into a glass vial having areduced neck defining the mouth of the vial with external threads on theneck. The other liquid to be mixed which, in the particular applicationdisclosed, is a premeasured reagent prepackaged in another vial madefrom a plastic such as polypropylene. The premeasured reagent is sealedin the United States Patent 3,684,455 Patented Aug. 15, 1972 "iceplastic vial by a frangible sealing plug which may be integral with thesidewalls of the vial and is located in the mouth of the vial recessedinwardly from the outer end thereof. The mouth of the vial is providedwith internal threads for receiving the external threads on the neck ofthe glass vial.

The frangible sealing plug is positioned in the plastic vial so thatupon sufiicient advancement of the glass vial into the plastic vial, theend of the neck on the plastic vial will break or rupture the sealingplug to intercommunicate the chambers of the vials. The vials may thenbe shaken as a unit to mix the blood serum with the reagent during whichtime the interengagement of the threads on the vials provides a sealcontaining the mixed liquid in the vials.

An additional seal is also provided by the extremity of the mouth of theplastic vial which engages about the external wall surface of the glassvial just below the neck portion thereof. After the liquid issufficiently mixed, it may be dispensed upon unthreading the vials fromeach other. The plastic vial may then be disposed of although the glassvial may be used in a subsequent test, if desired.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following more detailed description taken inconjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates perspective views of two vials constructed inaccordance with the present invention and shown during a first step inaccordance with the method of use of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of one of the vials shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the other vial during a further step inthe method;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the two vials joined together during afurther step in the method;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view illustrating the two vialsjoined together during a still further step in the method; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating a still further stepin the method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings in detail, there isillustrated two vials 10 and 40 for handling and mixing two liquids inaccordance with the present invention. In one specific method, vials 10and 40 are employed to mix a blood serum 43 with a reagent 11 for use inconducting a blood test. The reagent 11 is supplied in a premeasuredamount in vial 10 (the reagent vial) while the blood serum to be testedis supplied or otherwise placed into the other vial 40 (the samplevial). The serum may be placed into vial 40 by any suitable method whichmay employ a syringe.

In the preferred embodiment, reagent vial 10 is molded of a plasticmaterial such as polypropylene and has a cylindrical body 12 with acircular bottom wall 14 and and an open mouth generally designated 16 onthe end opposite bottom wall 14. In the mouth 16 of vial 10, a pluralityof threads 18 are formed as illustrated in FIG. 1. Threads 18 arerecessed from outer mouth portion 20 which is cylindrical for a purposeto be subsequently described.

A predetermined amount of reagent 11 is introduced into vial 10 andsealed therein by means of a frangible sealing plug 22 integral with thebody 12 and bottom wall 14 which may be a separate closure constitutedby a cap as illustrated in FIG. 2. The reagent 11 is introduced throughthe bottom of vial 10 after which the cap 14 is inserted. Cap 14preferably has a cup shape including a cylindrical sleeve portion whichengages the internal surface of vial body 12 to provide a good seal. Cap14 may also be formed from suitable plastic material such aspolypropylene.

Plug 22 includes a frustoconical portion 24 having the relatively thincircular edge portion 26 which is integrally continuously attached tothe internal surface of body 12 of vial thus sealing in the premeasuredamount of regent 11. The attachment at 26 may be effected throughintegral formation of sealing plug 22 and the body 12 of vial 10 inwhich case it will be understood that the plug will be formed from thesame material such as polypropylene. Sealing plug 22 also includes anouter end portion 28 having a cylindrical or disc-1ike configurationwith an outer face 30 which faces the open mouth 16 of vial 10.

The sample vial 40 which is to contain the serum 43 to be tested, ismade from a suitable material such as glass and includes a cylindricalbody 42 having a circular bottom wall 44 at one end and a neck portion46 at the opposite end. Neck portion 46 as illustrated in the drawingshas a reduced diameter when compared to the body 42 of vial 41).Moreover, a plurality of threads 48 are formed on the external portionof neck 46 for purposes of threading vial 40 into vial 10. Threads 48may also be employed to receive a conventional removable cap (not shown)for sealing the serum 43 in vial 40 prior to the mixing operation.

The thickness of the walls of neck portion 46 of vial 40 as well as thediameter thereof is made so that upon sufiicient threading of vial 40into vial 10, the outer edge 50 of neck portion 46 will engage thesealing plug surface 30 and upon continued threading, sealing plug 22will be separated at its edge 26 from wall 12 of vial 10 to thuscommunicate the interiors of the vials for mixing the respectiveliquids.

During the mixing operation, the liquids will be sealed through thethreaded engagement between threads 18 and 48. In addition, thecylindrical mouth portion 20 of vial 10 will sealingly engage around anexternal peripheral portion of the body 42 of vial 40 to establish asecond seal as illustrated in FIG. 6.

In performing the method involved in the use of the present invention, avial 10 is provided with the premeasured amount of reagent 11 sealedtherein through means of plug 22 and cap 14. A premeasured amount ofblood serum 43 is placed into vial 40 as illustrated in FIG. 3 afterwhich vial 10 is positioned on neck 46 of vial 40 and then rotated toengage threads 18 and 48 to advance vial 10 axially along vial 40 (FIGS.4 and until the end 50 of neck 46 of vial 40 engages and breaks sealingplug 22 (FIG. 6). The liquids may then be mixed by shaking the joinedvials as a unit. After the liquid is sufiiciently mixed, it may bedispensed from either vial 4 by disengaging threads 18 and 48 andremoving one vial from the other.

We claim:

1. For use with a sample vial adapted to hold a sample of a substancewhich is to be tested by a reagent, said sample vial comprising acylindrical body closed at one end and having a cylindrical externallythreaded neck at its other end adapted to be closed by a cap threaded onsaid neck: a reagent vial comprising an elongate cylindrical moldedplastic body having a separate closure at one end thereof, said plasticbody having an integral frangible closure spaced inwardly from its otherend and a cylindrical recess defined by said frangible closure and theportion of said plastic body located outward of said frangible closure,said plastic 'body having a screw thread in said recess for receivingsaid screw-threaded neck of the sample vial after removal of said cap,said reagent vial containing a reagent for testing the substance fromthe sample vial, the end of the neck of the sample vial being engageablewith the frangible closure when the neck is threaded in said recess forrupturing the frangible closure for mixing of said substance and reagentwithin the two threaded-together vials, wherein the frangible closurehas an extension into said recess engageable by the end of the neck torupture the frangible closure.

2. A reagent vial as set forth in claim 1 wherein said frangible closureis constituted by a plug having a portion of smaller diameter than saidrecess extending into said recess from a base section having arelatively thin frangible circular edge portion integrally joined to theinterior of said plastic body.

3. A reagent vial as set forth in claim 2 for use with a sample vialwherein the neck is of smaller diameter than the body and the body has acurved transition to the neck, said reagent vial having a relativelythin-walled tubular cylindrical extension at its said other enddimensioned for a sliding sealing fit over said transition and on to thebody of said sample vial.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,443,726 5/1969 Muller et al.206-47 A 3,451,540 6/1969 Kulischenko 206-47 A 3,476,515 11/1969 Johnsonet al 23230 3,532,254 10/1970 Burke 20647 A 3,326,400 6/1967 Hamclin etal. 2l56 3,521,745 7/1970 Schwartzman 20647 A MORRIS O. WOLK, PrimaryExaminer E. A. KATZ, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

